Peonies are bright and large flowers that look spectacular against the background of openwork greens. For flowers to please the eye with their beauty, you need to know how to care for peonies. It is easy to grow bushes, they do not require special care.
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Peonies: the basics of growing
Correctly planting peonies and providing them with the necessary minimum care, you can enjoy their flowering for many years.
With proper agricultural technology, bushes can grow in one place for up to 20 years.
The main thing is to choose the right place. The root system of peonies over the years can reach 80-90 cm in depth, so you should not transplant them often. Better to plant them right from the start. It should not be planted near large plants: peonies need freedom. Lack of nutrients negatively affects growth and flowering.
It is not worth worrying especially in the first year of planting due to the fact that the plant does not bloom and looks sluggish. In two or three years, the bush will reach maturity, become strong and show its beauty.
Outdoor landing
The flower grows best in open sunny areas, where there are no strong drafts. Do not plant bushes in a lowland, as the roots can rot from stagnation of water. Therefore, in areas with a high level of groundwater, drainage ditches are mandatory. The place is prepared in advance, about a month before planting. The distance between the plants should be 90 cm. The depth of the pit should not be less than 60 cm, and the width should be 55 cm. Two-thirds of it should be filled with a mixture of sand, peat and humus mixed with dug up soil. At this time, you can do the first feeding, adding ash to the pit, a glass of superphosphate and 1 tbsp. l vitriol.
In order for the plants to take root well, it is advisable to dip their roots in a heteroauxin solution.
The composition of the solution:
- 10 liters of water;
- 50 g of copper sulfate;
- 2 tablets of heteroauxin;
- some clay.
The consistency should be pasty. Treated seedlings are dried and planted so that the buds are 3-4 cm above the soil. A piece of land around the plant is watered and mulched with a peat layer 4-5 cm thick.
How to care for peonies?
Plant care consists in timely watering, loosening the soil, removing early buds and spraying from pests.
Watering schedule
A plant needs infrequent but plentiful watering so that the earth is completely wet. For each adult bush, at least 2 buckets of water are required. When watering, you need to ensure that water does not fall on the leaves. Most of all plants need moisture in the spring, during the bud setting, and in the fall, when new buds are laid. After each watering, it is advisable to loosen the soil so that it is not covered with a dense crust, and remove weeds.
Fertilizer and fertilizing
If you take a responsible attitude to planting and timely apply the necessary fertilizers to the soil, then the first 2 years the plant does not need any additional top dressing. The bushes will have enough of the fertilizers that were applied during planting.
In early spring, as soon as the soil thaws, it is useful to water the plants with a solution of potassium permanganate. The solution is prepared simply: for 10 liters of water take only 2-3 g of the substance. This amount is enough to feed 2 bushes. Such a solution not only stimulates and accelerates the growth of roots and kidneys, but also disinfects the soil, protecting against diseases.
During the growth period, it is necessary to feed the bushes with ammonium nitrate. When the peonies bloom, it is advisable to fertilize the soil with superphosphate. It is useful to alternate dry mineral fertilizers with organic ones.
Plant pruning
After the plant fades, wilted flowers are removed. Before the first frosts, the stems are completely cut off. If you have to do pruning a little earlier, the stems are not trimmed completely, but leave at least 3 leaves on each shoot.
Transplant Nuances
Wild species can grow in one place for up to 50 years. It is advisable to transplant hybrid varieties at least once every 10-12 years so that they do not run wild.
Gardeners recommend doing this more often, since the root system of 10-year-old bushes grows very much, so dealing with it is not so easy.
When transplanting, the main thing is not to damage the roots. They are very fragile and can go to a depth of 1 m, so it is better to use not a shovel, but a pitchfork. With this tool, the bush is dug in a circle, and then gently pulled out of the ground. Dug rhizomes are washed gently with water to remove adhering soil. It is useful to leave the bush in the shade for 5 hours, so the roots will become more plastic.
In the first year after transplanting, it is imperative to pinch off all the buds that appear so that the plant does not waste energy on flowering. In the second year, one bud is left to check how the flower matches the variety.
Care in the fall, preparation for winter
Plant care in the fall is minimal. To prepare peonies for winter, it will be enough to prune the stems and sprinkle them with plenty of ash. For a single bush, 2-3 handfuls of ash are enough. If there is a desire to propagate bushes, it is better to do it in the fall.
Young peonies need preparation for winter. Bushes planted in the current year, it is better to mulch a layer of peat, 6-7 cm thick, so that they painlessly survive the winter. With the onset of heat, the mulch is removed.
Peony propagation
The easiest way to propagate this flower is by dividing the bush. It is better to divide already adult plants with an age of at least 3-4 years. The optimal time for this procedure is the first half of autumn. In September and October it is still relatively warm, but not hot anymore. In addition, rains begin during this period, so there will be enough moisture, and the root system quickly adapts to a new place. In extreme cases, the bush can be divided in the spring, but such seedlings do not take root well.
The best time to divide the bush is an autumn transplant.
The dug rhizome is carefully cut into pieces with a sharp knife. Each split must have at least 3-4 kidneys and a sufficient number of roots. Small and damaged roots should be removed. Prepared planting material is placed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for the prevention of root rot for at least 2 hours. Cuts are necessarily sprinkled with crushed coal. Before planting the workpiece for 24 hours is placed in the shade for drying. After this, the dividers are fully ready for landing.
There is also a seed method of reproduction. But it is most often used by breeders to develop new varieties. This method is quite laborious, in addition, flowering occurs only 4-5 years after planting.
You can propagate the plant and root cuttings. For this, at the beginning of summer, a small piece of rhizome with a sleeping bud is separated from the mother plant and planted separately. By autumn, the stalk is rooted, but begins to bloom in 5 years.
How to get rid of pests and diseases?
Most of all, the bush suffers from gray rot. Leaves, stems, and even buds may become grayish.
The causes of the disease:
- rainy weather, excessive irrigation or high groundwater levels;
- cramped bed;
- excessive feeding with nitrogen.
The affected parts of the plant are cut and burned away from the place of growth of the bushes. For prevention, peonies and the earth around them need to be sprayed with a solution of copper sulfate or garlic water. It is also necessary to reduce watering.
Less often, plants suffer from powdery mildew, while the leaves are covered with white coating. A strong soapy solution is used to combat the disease.
Use in landscape design
Peonies are a frequent guest in any garden. Its beautiful, lush, terry flowers are painted in bright shades, so they look very impressive. The plant is decorative during the entire growing season. Openwork foliage retains its appeal from early spring to late autumn. These plants are good as soloists, but you can arrange a peony.
Caring for peonies in the open field does not bring much trouble, so these charming flowers will decorate any flower bed.
